To populate the rosters of new expansion teams, the NHL would likely turn to an expansion draft as it has in the past. An expansion draft was most recently held in 2000 when the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets were added to the league. It seems like a matter of time before another expansion draft is held.

In that event, who should the Flyers protect in the draft? There are a couple of guidelines and options to choose from, based on the rules from 2000:

Option 1: Protect 1 goalie, 5 defensemen, and 9 forwards. There is no experience requirement for the goalies left unprotected. One defenseman and two forwards left unprotected must have played at least 40 games in the year before, or 70 games combined over the last 2 years.

Option 2: Protect 2 goalies, 3 defensemen, and 7 forwards. In this scenario, every goalie left unprotected must have played in 10 games the previous season, or 25 games combined over the last 2 years. One defenseman and two forwards left unprotected must have played at least 40 games in the year before, or 70 games combined over the last 2 years.

In both scenarios, first and second year pros are automatically exempt. In addition, all unsigned draft picks are exempt unless they are from European clubs, and were drafted at least 4 years prior. The final rule was that only one defenseman or goalie could be taken from each existing team, and each existing team could lose a maximum of two players. This condition would have to be relaxed if four teams were added, but we’ll continue as if it’s still in place.

The Flyers in an Expansion Draft

I think every Flyers fan would universally say that Option #1 is a better choice for the franchise. Steve Mason is the only goalie worth protecting, and it allows the franchise to protect an additional 2 forwards and 2 defensemen. Before we begin protecting, let’s eliminate the players that are automatically exempt:

That leaves three forwards, and two more defensemen that the Flyers would need to make a decision on. Up front, I would be pretty confident that the Flyers would protect RJ Umberger (but it’s not a complete lock). On defense, Luke Schenn is likely safe as well. The prime candidates for the last two forward spots would be Vinny Lecavalier, Zac Rinaldo, and Jason Akeson. Others like Ryan White, Jay Rosehill, and Chris VandeVelde don’t deserve consideration.

Lecavalier is a very tricky case. Of those three, he is the best hockey player, but has the worst contract. It was well publicized this summer that the Flyers wanted to move on from Lecavalier, but could not find a team to take his contract. Would an expansion team jump at the chance to bring in Lecavalier due to his name (and in the process rid the Flyers of his contract)? I bet they would. So, if GM Ron Hextall is savvy, he should leave Lecavalier unprotected in hopes that somebody takes him, and gets rid of his contract.

In that case, Rinaldo and Akeson would both be protected. Personally, I’m not of the belief that Rinaldo is an NHL player. However, the organization would likely protect him because he is a favorite among a group of fans that is still clinging to the Broad Street Bully days.

Moving on to the final defenseman spot, it’s between Kimmo Timonen, Niklas Grossmann, Michael Del Zotto, and Nick Schultz. Timonen is easily the best player, but unfortunately, a blood clot issue has possibly ended his career. Of the four mentioned, it would likely come down to Grossmann and Del Zotto. Considering the Flyers already have enough defensive defensemen as it is, I think Del Zotto is the better choice.

Players w/ NTC/NMC probably can’t be left unprotected — if so, #40 and #8 are safe.

PBro42

Why not leave MacDonald unprotected? That albatross of a contract could potentially be off the books and just in time for one of the younger defensemen to step into a bigger role with a much more manageable cap hit, to boot.

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